A vehicle may comprise steering systems that are designed to adjust the directional orientation of front wheels. The steering system may comprise a steering shaft and a column connected to a steering wheel. A gear mechanism may be provided, which consists of a steering gear mounted on a frame and a link. The gear mechanism may be connected to the wheels through a tie rod. The steering system may be configured to steer both the front wheels and the rear wheels simultaneously.
The vehicle may comprise a steering control system having various sensors such as front wheel alignment sensor, vehicle speed sensor, and/or rear wheel alignment sensor. The steering control system may further comprise an electronic control unit including a microcomputer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,077 discloses a method for controlling a vehicle steering system of the type having front steerable wheels and rear steerable wheels that permit the operator to select front wheel only steering (2WS), crab steering (4WS) or curl steering (4WS). The operator may select a vehicle speed threshold above which he desires to have the rear steerable wheels to lock in a straight-ahead direction independent of the steering mode selected. Consequently, when it is sensed that the vehicle speed is greater than the speed threshold, the control means may lock the rear wheel steering, which ensures that above the speed threshold, only front wheel steering is possible.
The present disclosure is directed, at least in part, to improving or overcoming one or more aspects of the prior art system.